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Mrs. sm A. Whelc*.eA
1391 Miller toed Ave., 6..A.
Atlanta, Ga.
The Family of an Automobile Worker
A few months ago the Chevrolet plant in Atlanta was abut
down, and all the workers were idle for several weeks. But
now the labor troubles are over, and the plant is working
five days a week. The *hangs in the outlook of the employee
was typified in the expression of Lir. WI:slobs' when he same
into the labor union office with a broad grin on his false, to
get the lunch that his oldest son had brought in a basket.
He recognised one of the interviewers, who had formerly taught
a class among the automobile workers. They exchanged oleic,
hearty greetings before az. Whelshel hurried into the beak of
the office with his lunch. The interviewer asked if it would
be all right for him to go down and interview his wife.
"sure, go ahead."
The Whalchele live on a side street near the automobile
plant, in a brown frame house of seven rooms seven small
rooms, as we found when we made a tour of the house. The lot
is narrow but deep, stretehing bask almost two hundred feet
to fora a pasture for the cow which mupplies the featly with
milk. The front yard is very small, but sodded with bermuda
grass. The houses around the Whalebone are similar in style
and else, all frame structures, with small front yards planted
in grass, and a few shrubs here and there.
Mrs. Whelebel was sitting on the porch, with her youngest
child on her lap. She was combing and curling its hair. When
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we told her what we weated 840 aaid that we had coLie to the
wrong place, for she didn't think that she could tell us iluch
that would be interesting. iiowever, she oegan talking anyway,
and told us that ahe was CtilairlISII of the home arts omirottee of
the ,,,omen's ,*uxiliary. The home arts class, she said, was then
working on some "gypsy glaze" pictures. he showed them to us
later, and we round them to be deeiGns painted on glass in
transparent colors, wita tinfoil on the back to reflect the
lignt. .Jhe snowed them with pride and sincere interest, and
was genuinely pleoo.od when we evideneed some enthusiasm over
a desin of a sombre lookine ship sailing a black ocean. he
ranted her work critically, and remarked of one of the pic-
tures, "1 haven't ever been satisfied with the way that bird
in the middle looks. I'll have to do it over." Impartially
considered, the pictures were crude and ,zudy, inharmonious
mixtures of oright reds, yellows, and 6reens; but it was
obvious that they were to rs. ielchel an outlet for the
creative lupulse. the did not draw the designs freehand, she
said, but traced thew from stencile the teacher or the class
supplied. -Aley included a ship, butterflies, and flowers,
and parrots.
he showed us over the houae, first explaining, however,
that it was nut all °leaned up. There was a mixture of clean-
liness and untidiness. The plaster of the walls and ceilinee
wao eadly cracked, GivinG an air of dilapidation, as did the
mantel, with its cracked mirror, and the empty aquarium upon
It. The living room had many °heap and incongruous knieknacks
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hers and there. The large calendar which hung on one wall of
the dining room helped the gaudy "gypsy glaze" pictures to
meks the walls look like the displays at the midway of the
fair. The front bedrooa was a jumble of bedclothes, an old
bedstead which kra. Whelohel explained was the only pleas
of furniture that Ur. Whelchel had brought from his mother's
a box full of books, and trash. It was evident, how-
ever, that some degree of order and cleanliness was usually
maintained, for the colored 6irl who lived in one of the back
rooms had just mopped the floors. All the floors were covered
with linoleum. "6ma wanted to get regular rugs," said Mrs.
Whelchol, "but I said, no, we'd bettor get linoleum on account
of the ehildren, and they're so moll easier to keep clean."
Urs. thelehiel had first told us that we had better oome
back for the interview when she was not so busy, and up to how
had bean merely extending to us a sort of preliminary hospi-
tality. at there didn't seen to be a time when she would not
be busy, and after some minutes of trying to arrange a future
date, she decided that now was as good a time as any. Var sat
down in the living room, and she took up some oroshating so
that she might work with her hands while she talked. She was
making some coasters for iced -tea glasses.
Une of the interviewers, seeing some wondering Jew in a
hanging vase, casually asked if it were not bad leek to have
wandering Jew in the house. "I never heard of it," she said,
"but did you ever hoar that it was bad leek to have goldfish
in the house? There's a lady down the street from as that
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won't have any because she believes it is bad luck." Uri.
Whelohel, however, did not share this superstition, but
planned to fill her enyty aquarima and get more fish.
We had both noticed a large atlas that sat on a table
in a corner of the living room, and asked about it. "I was
hoping you would ask about that," she said, obviously proud
of it. "We got that with a set of books we bought for the
children. Jam bought the dock of Knowledge Aneyelopodia,
and we could either get that or a bookcase. We took the
atlas, because I had always wanted ono." She carried us into
the front bedroom where the books were still in the box in
which they were shipped. un examination they proved to have
bad print and worse reproductions of photographs and other
illustrations. We asked how much they oost. "Zighty dollars,"
she replied. "We pay four dollars a month." It was impossible
for the interviewers to refrain true observing mentally that
the books were not worth that uoh, evun with the atlas* which
was almost as cheap looking as the "gypsy slam," pictures. She
had bought the books Dor the children, she said, and this led
us to ask what plans she and her husband had for their child-
ren's education. "It looks like now we will be doing good if
we can put than through high school. Then if any of than
shows any talent for anything special, we'll try to send them
to college."
Neither Mrs. Whelohel nor her husband went to college,
and Mr. Whelohel did not finish high school. "I graduated
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from Piedmont high Athool at lamorest, (seorgia," she said.
Akon't get it mixed up with Piedmont College," she eautioned,
"1 wish it was, but it was Piedmont high ..)chool." bhe was
prou4 of the fact that she had had five more points than was
necessary when she graduated, even though she had attended
the school only two years. She had attended another high
school for one year before going to Piedmont, however. 'Prom
high sehool she went to a business oollege in Athens, Georgia,
and took a gsnaral course.
Mr. Whelohel's various lobs include being a shipping clerk,
refinishing furniture for the estern Union Telegraph Company,
and working as a lineman for the Bell Telephone and Telegraph
Company. Be is now on the unloading platform of the Chevrolet
Company, having been until a few months ago a buffer, which,
iura. Whelohel explained, meant that be polished off the scratches
from the fenders of new cars. be now works forty hours a week
on the unloading platform, nakipg eighty cents an hour.
"No, we'll never get 0.,A, at that," she remonstrated, "but
it's all right while it lasts. but two weeks off will just
ruin you."
We were interrupted by one of the little boys *ming in
with an orange which he wanted his mother to peel for him: it
was Bobby, who had broken his arm a few days before and now
carried it in a sling. Be is the middle child., aged four.
Philip, the oldest, is six years old, and he is the one who
carries lunch to his father each day. Tammy is the baby, only
two years old. Ars. Whelohel fixed the orange, while Bobby
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stood at her side, very shy in the presence of the visitors,
and whispered something in her ear. In a few minutes Philip
same in, also very shy, and walked timidly into the back part
of the house. "Hello, Doll," greeted Are. Whelohel, but the
little fellow was too timid to reply where the strangers could
overhear. It was evident that er$. Whelohel was fond of all
her children, and we were surprised that they were so very
timid. During the whole time we were there they did not speak
to us, though we tried to get a rise out of them by *eking
comments about the toy mechanical train and asking than to
explain how it worked.
6omeone knocked on the door, and Mrs. Whelchel got up and
paid the insurance collector. "We have two policies on each
child," she said. "We let them lapse a while beak, "but we've
renewed them.* ins of the policies on each child is with the
lastropolitan Life Insurance Company, and includes a free nurs-
ing service. "Yes, it's right good," she aftswered our query,
"but when one of my children gets slot I don't wait for the
nurse. I sand for the doctor right then." The nurse attended
Urn. Whelehel when she returned from the hospital after her
last confinement, and also helped when the youngest child had
the measles 20160 weeks ago.
"No, we haven't got a oar. We had one up to the time we
moved over here. Ile were living in a house up there near the
school then, and paying =teen dollars a month rent. The
landlady said we could have the house for a year for that
such, but in about six months she told us that in two weeks the
rent would be raised to twenty-two fifty." Both Mrs. Whelehel
and her husband were angry at this breash of contrast, and de-
cided to move rather than pay more rest. They wanted to bay
a home, but Ars. Whelchel knew that they could not afford both
a home and a oar. "It's either a home or a car," I said to
'Liam," UV*. 4heldhel related. "Use sat there a while, and said,
'I can't live in the car. I'll let the ear go aud get we a
house we can sleep in.' So we found this house and bought it
because the VISAS* was reasonable, and it was *lose to Sue's
work." oho* they moved into their new home it needed mueh work
done on it. The front yard was a series or red gullies. There
was no bathroom, and the only toilet was in a shack connected
to the back of the house. They fell to and sodded the yard,
built a eonerete-floored bathroom with shower, and painted the
woodwork on the inside. Aseently a new sleeping porch has
been added, the work being (MAW by are. Whelchelis father.
The whole family sleeps on this porch.
bbe carried us back through the house to see the sleeping
porch, of which she was very proud. ou the way through the
kitchen she shoved us ner eleotric ironer and new gas stove.
"A while 'cask," she said, "when Jam was laid off for so long,
he wanted to let the ironer go, but I just couldn't see it,
with the two little ones °owing on. We managed to hold on to
everything Odle we were examdui,og the new streae-lined
kitchen stove mrs. Whelokel opened the oven door and gave us
sonellikes which she had Just baked. She gave us also a glass
of milk each. he had told us before that she kept a sow.
"sae *milt quite see havin° her, but we use so such silk I
told him it was cheaper. Two quarts a day pays for the feed."
,e3 aaked if ti,a ever auid any iiA. 'I have sold soma, but
cu usa iL all now." also snowed us a calf in the back-
yard, wilier, blia said they would kiJ. aeon.
2ne sleeping porch wa not so nuen a porch aa we had
imaginea, naving 11J niore windows than an ordinary bedroom.
In tne living ruoi. e had seen a tjlb heater, and asked
her now if that was tne enly kind LA' aeat they had. "That's
all," she renlied.
St
hava three ne t rs, and an automatic
water heater that nolde tnirty nallous, and a gas refrigera-
tor. e wundered if this were not expensive. "eheapeat
hdat we've ever had, S.63 said. "Our gas bill wao five uol-
lafs and two cents last -with, and the coldest 1,Jonth last
yo,r v. on14 eleven dollars. ae otnar people around here
burn apout a ton or coal a onth, arid we finure this is cheaper.
'Ihere are to eoareera with the Jlelchals. "6am kind of
lets ;ee (10 nt I want to wi t JOarli Lioney," she said, "but
i usually pay sills with it." ;eaaidee this extra income frau
aoardare, they sonatinas sell ,ilk or chickens. "We raised
thirty -rive chickens once, and sold enuugh of then to pay for
the oast and the feed, and had the reat clear. .na ate about
twenty of then. ourselves. ltapu- helchel does not
sew or others, she does nor own sowing. I sew it all," she
aaid. ";lake clotnas fur tile children and for myself too." It
waa apparent that the dress ena was aring wns nome-made.
‘Aeth r. and ,_re. Aielehel were reared on fame in the
northeast section of neornia. r. lalchal worked in all the
aurroandin stut:is IJO:UVO finally settling down. "I always *aid
that he went all over the country first, and than ooze back home
to net hin a wife, commented rs. helchel. They are both be-
tween thirty and thirty-five yenra old.